Villains
Introduction Hello there, recruit! My name is Pices. I am the artifical intelligence assistant to the team. To begin your education and prepare you for facing criminal menaces, we are going to spend today sturying the meta-human criminal or, to use the common vernacular, the supervillain. At last official Criminal Census in May 2016 there are 187 metahuman criminals active in Paradigm City. The members of Heroes Unlimited, of which you are now a proud member, have battled supervillains from every level of power along the recorded spectrum. In order to help you understand what you will be facing, Heroes Unlimited as placed all criminals in one of five Categories. The Categories are as follows. Henchman (H) - The criminal that falls into this category is always under the supervision of a tougher, more powerful metahuman criminal. Henchmen range from members of gangs to the yes man of the criminal mastermind. Very few henchmen can go toe to toe with a superhero, and henchmen cannot withstand two or more heroes acting in concert. Still, recruits are advised not to be overconfident when facing a henchman because even a very weak street thug can get the drop on an unwary or overconfident crime fighter. Street Level (SL) - Criminals ranked in this category are always experienced and capable villains easily a match for a lone hero. Street Level criminals are the ones most likely to be encountered by the commonplace superhero. Often, a street level criminal can withstand an assault by two heroes, but will be outmatched by three or more. Recruits are advised and encouraged to study street level criminals whenever possible. Boss (B) - Boss level villains are a threat to the lone hero. Most Boss level villains command a troop of Henchmen, most of the time the Boss level criminal is a trusted lieutenant or underling for a more powerful criminal. Boss level villains can take on two, or maybe three, superheroes and stand a good chance of winning the battle. Examples of Boss level villains include Black Mamba, Miss America, Flechette, and Blue Velvet. Master Class (M) - The Master classification of villains include those criminals that are seen as leaders, with followers that look to them for advice, education, and instruction. Master class supervillains are exceptionally dangerous, easily able to take on an entire team of superheroes. A solo hero should never attempt to apprehend a Master class level villain. Only those individual heroes that are ranked Master class level or higher, such as Girl Wonder, Foxfire, and Brahma should ever attempt to confront a Master class villain alone. Examples of Master class level villains are King Cobra, Scarecrow, Sandman, and Black Seraph. Galaxy (G) - Galaxy, or Galactic, level villains are those criminals that lead empires, organizations, and groups. Galaxy villains are not just a match for an entire superhero team, they can usually take on two or three. These criminals should never be approached by a solo hero. Examples of Galaxy level villains inclue Doctor Destroyer, Mastermind, Poinsettia, and Archangel. Criminal Motivations In order to really fight crime, one must understand the psychology of the criminal. As one famous billionaire once said, criminals are not complicated. One only needs to understand what they want. This is very true. Understanding what a villain wants is often the key to defeating him. While it's true that there is real evil in the world, almost no human being on Earth is evil just for the sake of being evil. All ''criminals, no matter their status, have a reason for doing what they do. Often, the criminal is not even the villain in his own mind. Some villains have very positive and good intentions, it's only their methodologies that are in correct. Let's take a look at the most common criminal motivations. 1. '''Terrorize' Some villains just like scaring people. Oftentimes, villains that use terrorism as their modus operandi are doing it because they are lashing out at society for some real or imagined wrong done to them, and they want to world to share their pain. Some villains using terror as their motivation include Tattletale, Skullduggery, and Fiacho. 2. Corruption. Sometimes, a hero can't stand the system of law and justice, or they feel that they have been wronged, ignored, or overlooked by the judicial system. The most common symbol in our world of the legal system is the superhero. So these villains attempt to turn the good guy into the bad guy. They select an individual or group of individuals to publicly humiliate or destroy socially. A very good example of the Corruption motivated villain is Masterpiece, whom has often targeted heroes for humiliation. 3. Control Everyone knows someone whom is a controller. They dictate to others every word, deed, and action; often times going to extreme lengths to force someone to behave the way the controller expects them to do. The super villain with a control motivation is no different. Those villains with control mindsets are usually after a select group of people, the city, the nation, or even the world; they seek to reshape the universe in their image. Examples of these types of villains include Doctor Destroyer, King Cobra, and Echo Johnson. 4. Chaos Some criminals just want to throw a wrench into the wheels of society and watch what happens. These criminal types can often be the most dangerous because of their sheer unpredictability. They don't care about control, fame, or wealth; they just want to watch how people react to the unexpected. The most infamous criminal of this type in Paradigm City is, of course, Rictus. 5. Peace All this criminal type really wants is to be left alone. This villain is usually the type of person whom was content to live his life until something happened to draw them into the fray, and he snapped. Villains desiring peace don't generally go on a rampage until something happens to set them off. Finding out what this event is and helping the criminal to overcome it is almost always the correct way to bring the rampage to a stop. Criminals in this category are Grond, Sandman, and Him. 6. Revenge These villains utilize their powers to strike back at some group or individual in order to redress some real or imagined wrong or slight. Criminals in this category usually aren't interested in fighting against people or organizations that didn't harm them but may do if pushed. Most revenge motivated criminals are obsessed with their targets and can go to extreme lengths to destroy them; a good beat down is rarely enough to satisfy such criminals. A good example of a Revenge motivated villain is Skullduggery. 7. Quest for Something Lost These criminals have lost something and are engaged in villainy in order to get it back. Sometimes the thing they seek is an object whilst at other times it may be a conception such as a loss of face or a loss of a loved one. If the thing they seek is no longer obtainable for whatever reason such a criminal is likely to turn to the Revenge motive. Good examples of villains fighting for something they've lost is Fallen Angel, Capture, and Night Owl. 8. Save the World These villains can be the most charming individuals a hero may ever meet, and may even be operating under a set of morals or values unique to them. In any case, these criminals see all the crime, war, and poverty in the world and seek to end it. Saviors usually have very good intentions and their reasoning often makes sense, but the execution of their agenda is often quite rough, especially on innocent civilians. Such save the world motivated villains include Horoscope, Ladybug, and Concussion. 9. Get rich! Simply put, this type of criminal sees his or her super talents as a way to write off debt forever. Sometimes such criminals are just greedy and grabbing for whatever they can lay hands on, or other times they may have truly understandable motives such as paying off a huge debt or obtaining money to get medical help for a loved one in need. If the latter, this type of criminal can easily become motivated by Revenge and become an individual hero's arch-nemesis. Get Rich villains run the gamut of power: some hire themselves out as high priced thugs, some are ingenious mastermind operating from the shadows, and some are samsh and grab type criminals. Good examples of Get Rich villains are Esper, Bulldozer, and Debt. 10. Power For criminals with this motivation, it's all about power. They want recognition and the wealth to overwhelm anyone whom gets in their way. Tyrants and sometimes would-be conquerors, these sorts of criminals can also wade into Control or Rule the World territory. For the most part however, these criminals simply crave recognition and to have people be afraid of them. Good examples of Power motivated villains are Requiem, Catalyst, and Warhound. Types of Crimes When most people hear the world super villain, an image of a crazy man in an outlandish costume robbing a bank leaps instantly to mind. While it is true that super-powered criminals may rob banks or jewelry stores not all of them do, many engage in a wide variety of crimes. When deciphering a criminal and his motivations, heroes should also consider the types of crimes the super villain commits. With this information in hand, an agent of Heroes Unlimited will be ready to take on all comers. White collar crimes Usually the purview of masterminds fond of weaving elaborate plots, White Collar Crime refers to financially motivated non-violent crime. Typical white-collar crimes include fraud, bribery, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, embezzlement, cybercrime, copyright infringement, money laundering, identity theft, and forgery. The super villains that engage in these sorts of crimes often work behind the scenes, working on their master plans and letting their henchmen deal with superheroes. White collar super villains often do not engage heroes directly with power against power but design death traps and other sorts of schemes to slow their enemies down. Blue collar crimes Criminals that engage in blue collars crimes are those villains most likely to come into direct contact with heroes and have the power to stand their ground while energy bolts and gunfire are being slung around. In criminology blue collar crime is identified as is any crime committed by an individual from a lower social class as opposed to white-collar crime which is associated with crime committed by someone of a higher-level social class. This is of course a generalization; but it's true that a criminal mastermind with millions to spare isn't going to go mug someone on the street. Blue collar crimes, which include mugging, bank robbery, grand theft, larceny, rape, and manslaughter are more likely to have violent elements, and violent perpetrators. Corporate crimes Corporate crime deals with the company as a whole. The crime benefits the investors or the individuals who are in high positions in the company or corporation. The relationship white-collar crime has with corporate crime is that they are similar because they both are involved within the business world. Their difference is that white-collar crime benefits the individual involved, and corporate crime benefits the company or the corporation. Superheroes are very unlikely to find a corporate criminal toting a pair of tights and a cape, but they should never assume that the criminal is only a thinker and doesn't have the power to deal with a direct confrontation. One of the most powerful corporate criminals for example, Echo Johnson, is more than capable of taking on an entire hero team even though she wears the guise of a social butterfly. Organized crimes Organized crime is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals who intend to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for money and profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist groups, are politically motivated. Organized crime always appears when two or more individuals combine their strengths in order to commit crimes, traditionally Blue Collar but oftentimes White Collar crimes as well. Super villain teams and organizations are legally considered organized criminals, even though the criminals involved may not think of themselves as an organized crime institution. Typical OC crimes are violent; including assault, murder, and terrorism. Superheroes investigating and bringing down organized crime units should be prepared for violence.